Ohio News Briefs

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s State Highway Patrol and state police in five other states are focusing on enforcement of the Move Over law.

The law requires drivers approaching any vehicles with flashing or rotating lights that are parked on the roadside to move over to an adjacent lane. Motorists should slow down and proceed with caution if moving over isn’t possible due to traffic or weather conditions or lack of a second lane.

The safety effort began Sunday will end at 11:59 a.m. July 28. It includes state police in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

From 2013-2017, Ohio patrol cruisers were involved in 58 crashes that appear to be related to the Move Over law. The crashes resulted in the deaths of two civilians and injured 34 civilians and 24 officers.

Opera based on Pink Floyd album makes US debut

CINCINNATI (AP) — An opera based on Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” album has made its U.S. debut in Cincinnati.

“Another Brick in the Wall” opened Friday at Music Hall. The opera premiered in Montreal last year. Pierre Dufour’s production follows a rock singer named Pink who relives pivotal moments in his life during a stay at a mental health clinic.

The opera includes all of the albums lyrics along with some melodic themes. Dufour believes the progressive rock album’s story of love and loss makes it a great opera.

“In Montreal, people were coming and telling us how in the presentation as an opera they have rediscovered the poetry and the strength of the libretto by Roger Waters,” Dufour said. “You know, it’s a huge human story,” he added.

“Another Brick” star Nathan Keoughan had the task of diving into Pink’s “tortured” life.

“With this opera, you really get to go into the darkness and the various colors of the person. It’s both rewarding and exhausting,” Keoughan said.

Most of the audiences in Montreal were made up of nontraditional patrons who weren’t in the opera’s database, according to Dufour. Keoughan believes many rock fans were attracted to the opera because of its creativity.

The opera will run through July 31. More information is available at the Cincinnati Opera website .

Police fatally shoot suspect in robbery where 2 stabbed

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say police have shot a suspect after a robbery at an Ohio store where two people were found stabbed, and the suspect and one of those stabbed have died.

Toledo police say they received a report around 10 p.m. Saturday about a robbery at a Dollar General store. They say suspect Dale Slocum was found outside the store and shot in an encounter with police. Authorities say the 57-year-old man died at a hospital.

Police say 53-year-old Tommy Thacker was found stabbed inside the store and died at the scene. Police Chief George Kral told WTOL-TV that Thacker and his wife apparently tried to stop the robbery.

Police say the wife was hospitalized with stab wounds.

Messages seeking additional details were left for police Sunday.

No officers were injured.

New county fairgrounds sees increase in attendance

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A county fair in southwest Ohio has seen a huge increase in attendance following a location move.

According to the Montgomery County Agricultural Society, 27,000 people attended the Montgomery County Fair this year at the new fairgrounds in Jefferson Township. That’s about 13,000 more attendees than last year.

The fairgrounds had spent over 160 years in Dayton before the move.

Agricultural Society Board of Directors President John Yancik says he was happy with the turn out and the response from people. Yancik says the event helped show off climate-controlled facilities.

The agricultural society is considering building another building and gazebo

Officials say more improvements will be made as funding becomes available.

Lady Antebellum shout out police lip sync of their song

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio police department’s entry in a lip sync challenge sweeping the nation has gotten rave reviews — including from the country music group whose song is featured.

Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw says he is “overwhelmed” by the response to a video his department created as part of a national lip sync challenge among police departments. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reports that among the fans of the video are the band Lady Antebellum, who tweeted the police department’s cover of their song “Need You Now” was “amazing.”

Since its posting at noon Wednesday, the video has been viewed more than 2 million times.

Muterspaw says it took about one hour to shoot the video. He says while some officers were reluctant at first, everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.

The Columbus Dispatch reports a meeting between the Medical Marijuana Council and an advisory board Thursday provided no answer about when the state’s program will finally become operational.

Cultivators have been selected, yet only two have permission to grow plants.

Testing labs are ready and physicians are in place to recommend medical marijuana, but no processors to turn plants into edibles, oils, creams and tinctures have been selected. A Commerce Department official says those licenses will be issued in the coming weeks.

A pharmacy board official says the patient registration portal will be activated closer to when marijuana becomes available.